re: Why did democrats change their tune on hospitals? (Re: health prices)

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Even today, hospitals argue they lose money on most medicaid patients,

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After expansion, medicaid became the largest insurer in the country (~90 million)

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That was a helluva plan.

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And this has a lot of truth to it. One aspect of this that folks seem to be waking up to is that Medicaid and Medicare are not paid to lazy undeserving people. The payments are to health care providers. If the pay scale is cut so that the reimbursement is below the cost for the provider, the facilities close or move or significantly scale back services. When that happens, the medical service becomes unavailable for everyone regardless of insurance. That is the consequence that has to be avoided. This isn’t a Republican or democrat thing because we all need medical services.

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Then it’s time to reform EMTALA.

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Then it’s time to reform EMTALA.

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The Republican wet dream is to make America more like Calcutta where the sick and dying poor are left to the streets. That is the environment that motivated Mother Teresa to open shop. There was no health care available, so she offered comfort while they suffered.

America should never be as you suggest.

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The Republican wet dream is to make America more like Calcutta where the sick and dying poor are left to the streets.

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There's no national mandate, but there are state mandates depending on where you live.

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Most hospital systems are operating at a 2-3% “profit” margin. That’s not enough to buy new CT machines, expand OR’s, etc.

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Have you been to a hospital lately in SELA?

Ochsner, Children's Hospital, and Thibodaux Regional have been on a building binge since Obamacare was instituted.

Some of the building like University Medical Center was Katrina government funding to replace Charity Hospital but managed/run by Louisiana Children's Hospital.

Don't get me wrong these are some fine outstanding medical institutions on the level of health care provided and management. But you cannot say they are barely scrapping by and cannot afford a new CT Scan or other medical devices with the construction and expansion that they have been doing.

Only short squeeze they may have in the future is a population cliff or funding cliff when there is not enough income to support all the buildlings they built and bought and have enough money to staff all the buildings and programs they built.